Everyone at?The Soul of the Business?has learned that there are very few original problems in business.

The solutions to many problems can be found with techniques ? or in places ? where others have not looked yet.? Our most common source of answers to client?s frustrations comes from nature.

A business operates in an industry, and industries have many similarities to ecosystems found in nature.? The trick to finding a similar problem is to redefine the question so that it applies to an adaptation to a problem found in nature.

Like animals and insects, a business adapts to have two key abilities: 1) a way to get or attract food which is different from their competitors and 2) a way to avoid or escape from being eaten.

Attracting food can be as simple as having a light on. The deep sea Lantern Fish attracts prey to its mouth by having a glowing tip hanging right in front. When food is seen or flt nearby, it suddenly swallows it. Think about it, is it really that different than a sign that says BAR at 2 am? Fish do advertise. And everyone in the neighborhood advertises differently:

Avoiding being the meal is important too. When we were in elementary school, chances are good we probably saw pictures of fish that had a light colored underbelly and a dark top. Countershading, also known as Thayer’s Law, allows the fish to be partially hidden when viewed from looking either straight up or straight down:

Countershading can be used to minimize or maximize attention to an animal or humans. Camouflage gear is used by the military to hide; if you have never seen a Ghillie Suit used, it will amaze you how effective it is at hiding a person. The opposite is a skunk, who is colored in a way that they are easy to see – they a reverse countershaded.

Our point here, is that there is a wealth of solutions in nature and science that can be applied to business problems. If you don’t see how it applies to you, email us at curious@thesoulofthebusiness.com and we will send you examples that we have used in your industry.